Frustrated South Australian motorists want access to petrol price info
Efforts to bring in up-to-the-minute government petrol price information on the internet have stalled, but most South Australians want it, polling reveals.
SA News
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Nearly two-thirds of South Australian motorists say they would use online real-time prices to source petrol, a survey has found.
The RAA poll of more than 500 motorists also found that one in five would use such an app every time before filling up.
Its findings will reignite debate on the need for a government scheme to provide exact web prices as the Adelaide average for unleaded soared over 170c a litre.
The RAA is angry that the price peak came just as motorists were due to fill up for the Christmas break.
RAA spokesman Mark Borlace said it had also presented the State Government with ample evidence that prices would be driven down when motorists had informed freedom of choice to shop around with real-time pricing.
In the most recent example, a study by its sister organisation in Queensland had revealed the average monthly price of unleaded petrol was around 2.3c a litre cheaper in Brisbane since the introduction of a 12-month trial of the real-time price scheme. “People in the industry have been able to see this information for years and it is time motorists were also allowed to see it,’’ Mr Borlace said.
The State Opposition – which in government rejected the need for real-time pricing for many years before backflipping during the 2018 election campaign – this week attacked the State Government for not having introduced the measure, an election promise.
Attorney-General, Vickie Chapman has asked the Productivity Commission to investigate various models. “The problem I have been dealing with for the last 12 months, however, is determining the effectiveness of regulatory options with respect to its impact on prices, in the face of conflicting evidence,’’ she said.
“There has been evidence to suggest such schemes inadvertently increase prices. Recent media regarding cost savings for motorists from the Queensland trial ignores an ACCC report, which states a 12 per cent increase in the number of fuel retailers in the Brisbane area to be a factor.”
The Advertiser understands that private providers of fuel-price apps have lobbied hard to convince the Government that more information could allow retailers to copy each other and lead to higher prices.
But in October, the ACCC was critical of private data, stating: “The government schemes are the most comprehensive and up-to-date, whereas the commercial services may not include all of the cheaper retail sites.”